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See-Scape owner Sara Nguyen and general manager Adam Kolanski stand inside one of See-Scape's themed booth. The cafe is still in the construction phase.

By Bill Tremblay

TORONTO – A new café in Toronto is aiming to create the Fan Expo experience 365 days a year.

See-Scape, located at 2840 Dundas St. West, will serve as refuge for all things nerdy, from cosplay to comic books to video games.

“Comic-Con and Fan Expo are huge events in the city, but it’s just a few days a year,” said general manager Adam Kolanski. “Year round, there’s no other outlet for that kind of stuff.”

See-Scape owner Sara Nguyen, a former barista, was inspired to open the café after touring Japan’s themed restaurants and bars.

“There’s no place like this in Toronto. We want to bring more liveliness to the city,” Nguyen said.

When the café opens in September, guests will be greeted by sci-fi and comic art installations.

“We want to showcase local sci-fi, video game and comic art,” Kolanski said. “We want to make that more accessible to people.”

Four private booths line one side of the cafe.

The café is also equipped with four private booths, which resemble a sci-fi movie set more than foodservice seating, line one side of the 1,300-square-foot establishment.

“The interiors of the booths are environmental art installations,” Kolanski said. “The idea is like a teleporting mechanism. You’re taken to a completely different environment.”

Service lights sit atop the private booths.

Each booth is equipped with a service light to grab the attention of the wait staff.

“It’s like when you’re on an airplane and you need help. You just flick a switch,” Kolanski said.

On the opposite side of the booths, lounge seating and televisions equipped with a variety of retro video game consoles complete the 30-seat café. Guests are also encouraged to bring their own board games.

“While there’s going to be an overall sci-fi vibe, it’s going to be a place to celebrate all genres of work,” Kolanski said. “It will have an ambiance here you won’t get anywhere else in Toronto.”

While the space is under renovation, See-Scape has recruited a costume designer to create the staff uniforms.

“We’re going with waitresses that have a stewardess feel, like you’re on a ship and being waited on,” Kolanski said.

Skulls decorate the interior of one of the themed booths.

Nguyen added there isn’t a shortage of hopeful employees willing to work in the unique uniforms.

“A lot of people love getting into costume,” she said.

The menu will focus on finger foods, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages, which will also

fit into the sci-fi theme. Kolanski said the light menu is designed to compliment game play.

“If they’re playing board games or card games, you need table space,” he noted.

With events like Fan Expo in Toronto attracting more than 100,000 people, Nguyen believes the fan base is strong enough to support a business with a similar atmosphere.

However, she couldn’t pinpoint why Toronto isn’t already home to a sci-fi themed café.

“I think a lot of people are always thinking about doing it,” Nguyen said. “I guess we will have to see.”

Nguyen and Kolanski expect to open the cafe by the end of September.

Comments

3 comments

Maria

Dundas Video is a bar on Dundas that already does retro video games and consoles... this however looks like a club version of that or something...
https://www.google.ca/search?q=dundas+video&oq=dundas+video&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l3j69i60l3.3743j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=91&ie=UTF-8

Avsky

This looks utterly awesome!! I can't wait until it opens, Toronto definitely needs a space like this!

Awesomesauce

This looks like it will be awesome. Can't wait to check this place out.

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Ishcom Publications was established in 1986 with the launch of Ontario Restaurant News, offering national coverage with a provincial focus of the news that matters to the restaurant and foodservice industry. The company expanded its regional concentration with the addition of Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News and Atlantic Restaurant News. In 2004, Ishcom Publications added Canadian Lodging News to its portfolio to offer its industry news coverage to the accommodation sector.